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Oudtshoorn Airport Upgrade On The Cards

Previous page 9th July 2008

Plans are in the pipeline to upgrade the Oudtshoorn airport to better accommodate tourists visiting the area for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, if a feasibility study being done shows the plans are cost-effective.

In the long term, the upgrade means the airport could be used as an export centre and as an alternative venue when weather conditions are not favourable in George and Port Elizabeth.

The feasibility study is being done by AfriGroup, a company involved in projects at the OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg, the Durban and Cape Town international airports and airports in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong.

The study has to be finished by October, Jasper Cloete of AfriGroup said, adding it was important to meet the various deadlines in order to have the airport finished by 2010.

AfriGroup is doing the study in conjunction with market researchers ED/GE, TJ Architects, quantity surveyors Davis Langdon, engineers Argus Gibb and DJ Environmental.

“So far it looks very good and the feedback we‘ve received is positive,” Cloete said.

The Oudtshoorn municipality‘s airport project leader, Greg Baartman, said it was important that the airport be upgraded to make it more functional for 2010.

Having an upgraded airport could also mean the town could bid to host a base camp, he said. “The council is specifically looking at upgrading the fence, the lights on the runway and the permanent placement of emergency services personnel,” he said.

He said the municipality wanted to involve the residents in their planning and would establish a committee including role players from Agri Small Karoo, the Oudtshoorn Tourism Bureau, the Oudtshoorn Business Chamber, the local community forum, the Eden district municipality, provincial transport department and the Oudtshoorn Air Club.

“The development of the airport is likely to be a private/public partnership,” Baartman said.

He said the town did not want to duplicate the George airport, which catered mainly for passengers.

Instead, the focus would be on creating a cargo airport, in light of the agricultural goods produced in the area.

He said in the long term it would create job opportunities.

By Liesel le Roux

www.theherald.co.za

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